Jin Shanyao two large bundles of herbs and laid them out to dry in the courtyard. She then washed the wild fruits she had picked, arranged them on a plate, and brought them into the study.
"It's already dark, why are you still reading?"
Meng Anzhi gave a light snort, "Starting today, I'll watch for an extra half hour every day."
My aunt gave me so many medical books; if I don't start reading them soon, they'll just keep piling up.
Moreover, the further you learn, the more difficult it becomes; simply memorizing prescriptions is not enough, you must find the right medicine for the right ailment.
Meng Anzhi felt that her life was more bitter than bitter melon, and her head was buzzing.
"There are still some articles I'm not familiar with for the academy's assessment at the end of the month, so I want to review them," Meng Anci, picking up a piece of fruit and taking a big bite.
The sweet juice filled his mouth, and he handed it to Jin Shanyao, "Auntie, this fruit is sweet, you can have it."
Jin Shanyao sat opposite him, took out a storybook and flipped through it, "Auntie ate up on the mountain, this was specially brought for you."
Meng Anci wanted to hand it to Meng Anzhi, but then thought better of it... His sister would wash the water ladle he used three times, let alone the fruit he'd already bitten into... Ah, so sweet.
"Auntie, when are we going to start planting Hat Mountain?"
"No rush..." Jin Shanyao two pages, finding the content uninteresting, her mind preoccupied with the book " Master, Come Chase Me!"
The book depicts the maid and master undressing... I hadn't even read the rest of the story before it was confiscated. Sigh... I wonder if it even had any life in it.
Dead books, they're making my heart itch with desire!
The oil lamp was dim, Jin Shanyao, worried that the two children's eyes would get tired, secretly used her Spiritual Power to brighten the lamp and plucked two strands of hair from her hair, holding them in her palm.
When she unfolded it again, it had become two ginkgo leaves. She soaked the ginkgo leaves in water and poured it for the two children to replenish their energy. Don't be fooled by her calm and collected appearance.
My inner child is swaying wildly, shouting, "Learn from me, my Xiaobao... No pain, no gain! Your auntie is hoping you'll achieve great things!"
Hahaha... I've got it!
Jin Shanyao up the pen and began writing a letter to Qin Baitang, " Old Qin, Anzhi Hall needs you..."
The whole thing was a long, rambling piece, but the main point was: put down what you're doing and come to the capital city immediately to take Old Medicine Zhou, to participate in the ginseng competition in the capital.
Whether Anzhi Hall can rise to prominence depends entirely on you!
Upon receiving the letter, Qin Baitang was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. He had never even seen a seventy-year-old wild ginseng before... Most importantly, it represented Qingzhou Prefecture in the competition.
I've gained both substance and prestige; I've truly chosen the right master, and I'm guaranteed success! It's worth it...
Qin Baitang arrived in the capital after a long and arduous journey, just as Green Mountain Academy was releasing its results.
Shiyan, Zhao Zhiyuan, and Meng Anci were squeezed in the crowd, their ears ringing from the noise.
Shiyan was so nervous that his palms were sweating, and he stood on tiptoe searching through the densely packed names.
The further down the list he went, the colder his heart grew, until he saw his name in the last row. His heart clenched, but he pretended not to care.
"Sigh, I finally made it to the top, only to fall back down again at a different academy."
Meng Anci glanced at his own name, breathed a sigh of relief, and punched Shiyan on the shoulder. "It's okay, you still have a lot of room to grow. Try harder next month."
Shiyan looked at him resentfully, "If you can't comfort people, you should shut up."
Just as the two were chatting, a shrill voice suddenly broke in.
"Hey, my little cousin, I heard you didn't come in first place this time. Come on, let me see who came in first!"
Zhao Yushan's gaze swept over the top of the list, and he suddenly froze. He looked sharply at Meng Anci. Was this little guy really that amazing? He had actually surpassed Zhao Zhiyuan.
Thinking of how his grandfather had scolded him for buying horses, Zhao Yushan's face instantly darkened.
"Heh... I wonder how they got to the top spot."
"Yeah, he's only been here a short time, how could he possibly surpass Zhao Zhiyuan?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, he met Zhao Yushan's disapproving gaze and immediately shut his mouth in fright.
Zhao Yushan acted strangely, forbidding everyone from speaking to Zhao Zhiyuan and strictly forbidding them from bullying Zhao Zhiyuan in any way.
Zhao Zhiyuan pushed Shiyan and Meng Anci in their wheelchairs. "Let's go."
Ever since Meng Anci transferred to the prefectural city, he had been studying for an extra half hour every night, but he still managed to be surpassed.
Zhao Zhiyuan found it both amusing and helpless; Meng Anci was truly intelligent, so intelligent that it inspired fear.
"Stop!" Zhao Yushan blocked the three of them. "Are you so smug about being first and second? Don't tell me you're cheating."
"Bullshit... Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan were already the top students in Willow and Poplar County. What's so surprising about them getting first and second place? As for you, what was your ranking?"
Shiyan went to check the list, but when he saw Zhao Yushan in third place, he paused and lost his confidence.
He pursed his lips and said dryly, "It's not much better."
Zhao Yushan glared menacingly at Shiyan, thinking, "What does he know?!"
Zhao Zhiyuan came to the academy, he was always at the top of the list. After Zhao Zhiyuan arrived, he dropped to second place.
He was overjoyed when he heard that Zhao Zhiyuan come in second, thinking he had finally gotten first place. But he never expected to fall to third place!
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. If Willow and Poplar County sent another one, would he end up ranking fourth?
What made him even more aggrieved was that every time they ate, his grandfather would praise Zhao Zhiyuan with such enthusiasm, as if Zhao Zhiyuan were his own grandson.
Zhao Zhiyuan came in first place. Although he was not convinced, he didn't think much of it. After all, he was a member of the Old Zhao family, and his uncle was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination. It was not surprising that he came in first place.
But who is Meng Anci? A powerless, lowly peasant with no connections, yet he managed to get first place! Who would believe that?
Meng Anci sneered, " Zhao Yushan, if you don't do well on the exam, go back to study. Don't stand here yelling and screaming; it's embarrassing."
"You..." Zhao Yushan trembled with anger, his hands clenched into fists, unable to find the words to refute him.
Shiyan rolled her eyes, put her hands on Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan's shoulders, and said smugly, "Let's go back to class..."
Although he was smiling, he was uncertain. If he came in last place three times in a row, he would probably be sent back to Willow and Poplar County.
Shiyan wasn't afraid of dropping out of school, but he was afraid of his Madam Shi crying.
"The students at the Green Mountain Academy are all inhuman; their grades are better than the last. I studied day and night and still got the lowest score. Where can I complain to them?"
Shiyan hugged Zhao Zhiyuan and Meng Anci, saying, "Luckily you two were here, otherwise our Willow and Poplar County would have been utterly humiliated."
Meng Anci kicked him in the butt, "How many times have I told you, don't put your arm around my shoulder, you're making me look shorter."
He straightened the disheveled clothes. "Don't you know how much time you spend playing and studying each day? How upset you'll be if Master Zhao finds out you got last place again."
They are Master Zhao's pride, and the quota Master Zhao obtained from his own clan. They must not bring shame to Willow and Poplar County.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhiyuan looked somewhat forlorn; he was homesick.
In the past, whenever my cousin visited my great-uncle's house, he would take him flying kites and buy him delicious food. But ever since he started staying at my great-uncle's house, everything seems to have changed.
His father told him to bear with it, since Green Mountain Academy in the prefectural city was the best.
Meng Anci looked at Zhao Zhiyuan, unsure how to comfort him. He was quiet in Willow and Poplar County, and even more so in the prefectural city, spending all his time reading.